Guillaume Cliche-Rivard has delighted a Montreal Liberal bastion on Monday during the by-election in Saint-Henri–Sainte-Anne. The former immigration lawyer will therefore be on the 12e member for Québec solidaire to sit in the National Assembly. Here is what he had to tell us the day after his election.
How does it feel to win in a liberal stronghold?
I take it with as much humility as possible. It’s a by-election where we gave everything. For me, the work begins. We have to settle a lot of injustices. I’m still happy, because it was a lot of work, but here I’m also entering a big period of transitions where a lot of things will change. The pressure is still very strong.
What will be your priority when you arrive at the National Assembly?
We are going to propose real and constructive measures to resolve the housing crisis. We have a series of proposals and I’m going to work very hard on that. On the ground, the people I have spoken to over the past few weeks have told me how difficult it was for them to pay the rent, how difficult it was to find housing.
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It is certain that, concretely, to solve the crisis, we must continue to build housing. We want to release funds. There are great projects in the riding that are unfortunately frozen, and then we have to get them back on track and make sure that the housing is built.
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You also have to report on the evictions, the renovictions, to be sure that people don’t get kicked out, then that there is no other housing for them in the neighborhood and that they are therefore evicted neighborhood.
We want to do the rent register, the lease register, to find out how much the person was paying before, to find out if the increase or the rent they signed is legal. We also want to protect seniors […] We have a series of measures.
What would we need to make the trip Montreal-Quebec in a more ecological way (since you are likely to do it often)?
I don’t have a car myself, so we’ll be looking at that in the next few weeks. We are going to carpool, with the united deputies, like Alejandra Zaga Méndez, who is next door in Verdun. I’ll take the bus or the train, I’ll look at my options. We will try to do this as eco-responsibly as possible.
[À QS], we want to ensure that there is intercity transportation, a structuring network. That people, as much as possible, use public transport.
You are the only lawyer in the QS team at the National Assembly. What more do you plan to bring?
Field experience of the justice system. To know what it means to have to go to court or to have to sue someone, to be sued. Obviously, an increased knowledge of the laws. In terms of immigration, I have special expertise where I will be able to make concrete, innovative and inclusive proposals to correct many irregularities in our immigration system.
Stevens LeBlanc/JOURNAL DE QUEBE
Manon Massé, Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois and QS elected officials
Precisely, on this subject, you had strong discussions with Minister Simon Jolin-Barette when he was at Immigration in 2019. Are you looking forward to your reunion?
Yes, yes, and in a super constructive logic and with the sole interest of the citizens of Quebec. I don’t want to be stubborn. It’s not my way of seeing or doing things from the outset, so I’ll be there in a constructive dialogue.
From time to time, of course, there are delicate subjects, we want to make a point, to be heard, but very generally, I think that people know me for my diplomacy, my calm character and it is rather this side- where I want to put forward.
ARCHIVE PHOTO, QMI AGENCY (MARIO BEAUREGARD)
Some people were disappointed not to see a woman like 12e united deputy.
Of course, this is an issue and we are going to work very, very hard, me first, to put in place female candidates in the winning counties in 2026. I already have people in mind. We will help them, support them, support them. It takes more women in politics.
There [pour l’élection partielle], it was the constituency members who decided to give me a second chance. There was a nomination with a male candidate, a female candidate, people chose and we still have to respect the choice of our members, but I’m going to be a positive vector on that.